Worried for my sons

Hi I am very worried. My dad is waiting to get a biopsy to diagnose/ruleout potential for Prostate cancer. Last year his PSA level was 3 and this year the 2 latest PSA levels are 6.9 and then 6.5. His specialist didn't feel any enlargement in his prostate. My dad's brother has prostate cancer. We don't know the history before that generations cause my grandmother's generation consist of 2 girls and noone knows how my great grandfather died.

There is tremendous progress being made -- I read something recently that there were more new PCa treatment options approved in the past year than in the decade before that. I'm guessing your kids are sorta young? If so, they have years to go before this is a huge problem, and by then chances are great science will have at least defanged this beast. Also, if their grandpa has prostate cancer, which is still a big If, they can just be extra vigilant about PSA testing and lifestyle choices. No canola oil, no flax seeds, start inculcating the love of veggies and olive oil now.

I don't know the exact stats on the hereditary link, but I bet it isn't overwhelming. PCa unfortunately is just too common. I bet a really high percentage of little boys' grandpas have it, since a really high percentage of old guys have it.

I don't mean to diminish your worry. My husband was diagnosed with aggressive, metastatic prostate cancer at the end of May, and we have three kids in grade school, all boys. So I get it. And I will make sure the crappy lack of vigilance on the part of my husband's GP never happens to them (we were always told all was well after my husband's physicals, only now when I got all the testing history do I know that while any one year looked low enough to not ring alarm bells, the pattern from year to year should have had bells screeching).

For now, worry about your Dad. When and if he gets a bad diagnosis, focus on him. And once the dust starts to settle, you can also start the lifestyle stuff that will serve your boys well long-term.Age 58G9 (5+4)12 of 12 cores positive, 100% involvementDx 5-2012 Metastatic PCa, lymph nodes & extensive bone mets

People who have become familiar with prostate cancer have become familiar with the name "Dr Michael Kattan." Dr Kattan, now at Memorial Sloan Kettering, developed what is now known as the "Kattan nomograms" which are used on a daily basis by urologists to provide guidance to prostate cancer patients on probabilities of various outcomes. He is world-renowned in his knowledge of PC outcomes.

Dr Kattan wrote in the Journal of Urology that "Age, fitness, and body weight have a far bigger effect on survival than PSA, Gleason score, or any type of treatment."

Age, you can do nothing about. There is a saying that the only way to avoid prostate cancer is to die young...nobody wants that. The reality is that the percentage of men with PC is roughly equivalent to the number of decades that they have lived. So, roughly 50% of 50-year olds (40% of 40-years old, 60% of 60-year olds, etc) have PC, although very few of them know they have it, very few will ever know they have it, and most will die of something else without knowing they had it.

Fitness and body weight are completely within one's control. There are known cancer fighting foods, and known cancer fueling foods...another factor completely within one's control. Lifestyle choices (diet, exercise and stress reduction) have been shown to reduce PSA as a marker for PC progression in men with biopsy-confirmed PC. These are the facts you need to help you sons get intimate with.

I have 2 sons, one 29 and one 35. The oldest will have his first PSA test this year to establish a baseline, and my younges has promised he will when he turns 35. They understand there is a small risk associated due to the fact that their father has prostate cancer. They are not overly worried, and I don't try to worry them about what may or may not happen. Those baseline tests will give their father, me, some peace of mind.

I hope and pray my boys never have to deal with this cursed disease. But if they do many years from now, hopefully their will be better and less invasive ways to deal with it.

There was never any know case of PC in either my family or my wife's family. As my uro said, someone has to be the first one.

ALL men will get prostate cancer if they live long enough..One in six will be diagnosed with it...But only a small percentage of those die from it..If you determine that it "runs in the family" then having your sons do an annual PSA test offers the best protection against succumbing to this disease..A couple of early tests establishes a baseline reading that can be helpful in analyzing future tests..

I have had the same worries for my son and grandson. My grandfather had PC but died from other causes so he died with it, not from it. My father has suffered with an enlarged prostate since he was in his 40's and at age 85 his URO thinks he might now have a low grade PC that most likely will go untreated at his age. My son is 36 and had his first PSA test last year after I was diagnosed so he now has a baseline for going forward. With all the new research and treatments on the horizon I hope that by the time my son or grandson is ever diagnosed with PC there will be a simple non evasive treatment to cure cancer other than surgery and radiation. So I am not as worried about this as I was before I knew much about this cancer.

Worried Mom, I so understand your concerns. He have a very long history of PCa in my family. Grandfather, Dad, 2 uncles on my Dads side, 2 first cousins and now me.

My son is 34 and has already had his first PSA as a base line. When he asked his Dr about doing the PSA the Dr wanted to know why. My son explained and the Dr said "Your Dad is wise to have you do this.. " It is always wise to be aware of one's body.

Hi I am backIt turns out that my uncle has had high PSA reading for over 10 years. Not sure in the level though but all his biopsies is negative. The results for my dads biopsy last year was negative but this year his psa remains high or have slightly gone up so the specialist called him to go in again.

I am just such a worried mom for my children. Sigh I can't talk to anyone cause they say I am over reacting and people in my family is so secretive about their history or even health history

It's good that you are now getting some family history and many of us with strong familial relationships to a person with Pca have the same worries. My son was 6 when his father was diagnosed and is now 13. You are still in shock being faced with your dad's possible diagnosis, so when you have more info you may realise that like lots of conditions, this is one you may need to learn about. No helpful outcome is gained by worrying now when you don't know, but we all understand your fears and concerns. Take care and maybe talk to some other mums. They will understand your strong feelings but the most important thing at the moment is to just get the information you need and try to look after yourself. Secrecy is not unusual either in times of great shock and illness in families. Sometimes it turns out to be nothing. You probably need to talk to process your thoughts in some way. Hope the right person comes along for you. It is sometimes easier to just have at least one person who you think will understand, but it may not be anyone in the family. Good luck. Big breath - totally worried. You will be OK. Look after that dad and kids of yours, and take some time out each day for yourself. If you have any other questions when the biopsy results are back feel free to post them.Creed_three (Lana) - with husband "CJ" now aged 55 yrs (49 years at diagnosis). PSA (2006) 3.5. 1 x 5% core of 12 positive at biopsy (Gleeson 7). open Radical Prostatectomy with nerve sparing April 2007 Sydney, Australia. Gleeson 3 + 4 = 7. Small multifocal lesions contained within prostate. Current PSA March 2013 = 0.03 (stable for 6 yrs, fluctuates between .02 and .03 annually, same lab used).

Have you told us yet how old your sons are? Generally speaking, it is VERY rare for a man to develop prostate cancer much before the age of 50.

With that said, I'll tell you what my local urologist told me in 2009 -- which was 2 years before I was Dx'd with PC. I had a PSA that was a bit higher than normal, but I also had a significant case of BPH, a benign condition of prostate enlargement.

BPH can account for a higher PSA reading. But the uro also cautioned me that this meant it could also be masking the presence of PC. He told me this in 2009 and, when I finally agreed to let him do a biopsy in 2011, PC was found.

Anyway, he asked in 2009 if I had any family history of PC. I advised him that my Father had PC in his early 70s. The doctor replied that this made me TWICE as likely than normal to get it also.

When I further told him that one of my Dad's brothers also had PC, the doctor said I was then THREE times more likely to get it. He urged me to do the biopsy, but I chickened out.

But when my PSA spiked by almost 2 points from 2009 to 2011, I finally agreed to the biopsy and, soon after, I was diagnosed.

So your sons DO have a significantly greater risk of eventually developing PC as the get older. If any other close family members had PC, their chances go up even higher.

So, as they enter their 40s (assuming they are younger than this now), they should have the doctor include a PSA check in their standard, annual physical bloodwork. Then they can begin a tracking history of their PSA and be able to watch it from year to year.

As others have noted, by the time they might develop the disease, medical science may have a much easier cure. The trick, of course, is to stay on top of it and not let it get away by not monitoring.

I have two sons (30 and 27), and I'm advising both of them to consider screening at least at age 40, maybe earlier if their doctors agree.

Both of their grandfathers were diagnosed with it around age 72. I was diagnosed at age 55. I don't have any brothers, so no additional risk info that way. Needless to say, my son's risks are higher than average, and I want them to pay attention to it as appropriate (but not to worry about it, of course). As others have said, should they eventually face this mess, no doubt there will be less barbaric treatments for it. Research is key!IGRT by IMRT, 44 done 8/28/13: 50.4 Gy pelvic nodes, 79.2 Gy prostateADT2 2 yrs: Lupron 5/1/13+Casodex 6/25/13

Hello, worriedmom. Glad you stopped back in and glad your uncle and dad ended up with negative biopsies. Hopefully this will bode well for your sons and your worries will be unfounded. Based on what you now know about your family history it would appear that your sons have no significant hereditary issues that you know about. Good luck and please try not to be overly concerned. How old are your sons now? The answer to that question will help us give you our thoughts about testing and discussions with their physicians.

Thanks JimMy sons are 6 and 3. I believe my dads PSA is hanging around 5-6 and he is 63. Not sure what my uncles PSA is but he is 65. I think over the past 10 years for my uncle, he has an elevated PSA but no cancer found yet even after biopsies

If your sons are that young it is crazy to worry about them and prostate cancer. Their chance of developing the disease in the next thirty years is nearly zero, no matter what sort of cancer their great uncle might have. And the chances that prostate cancer will be a worrisome disease in thirty years is also nearly zero. The pace of medical science can be annoyingly slow for those of us who have the disease now, but come on.

Yes, I think your worry is very premature and misplaced with boys that young. Who knows, way before they become the age to worry about PC, there may even be a cure for most men. You are talking decades away. And even with family PC history, even that wouldn't guarantee that either of your sons would have get diagnosed with PC.

Now if your boys were much older, I would have different advice. My oldest son got based lined at 35 last year, he is 36 now, and my youngest son, 30 was going to be baselined at 35 also, but he's having a major physical later this week, and he's going to get his doctor to baseline him just because.

But you have a long, long, long time to even think about worrying about this.